anyone know how i can convince my parents?

Does anybody here know how i can convince my parents that I am ready to play a low level 16's tournament? My mom says I havent been playing well lately even though i got into a tiebreak and served for the set against a nationally ranked 14/u player in my last tournament. I am 14 and Im ready for 16's satellites in GA which is the lowest form of tournament in America (i think).

sorry to be the one to tell you this bro, but if your mom says no it should be no. Even if she is right or wrong she has her reasons. I dont think she would make you give up tennis maybe she just doesnt want you to play in this type of tourny. Either way, if she says your not playing well enough have her take you to the courts to practice daily so you can get good enough.

why the hell would you want to play up?
Unless your the #1 14 yr old in the U.S by a ton, or turning 15 next week there should be no need for you to play up an age group. Why dont you just enter higher level 14 tournaments?

Your parents are the one who have the ultimate say in things. Personally, I think that unless you can beat everyone in your own age group, you shouldn't play up. Tournaments are good to help you learn things and gain experience, but you really shouldn't play up unless you're amazing. What makes you think that you're "ready"? Your parents must have more good reasons as to why they don't want to let you play, too.

This is ridiculous. You should NOT make a permanent switch. But of course you should enter a couple of tournaments at the 16s. This will allow you to really test your potential. I'm sure that playing against the talent in the 16s will not only raise the level of your game, but it will also improve your work ethic. Imagine if you have a competitive match with a 16 year old? That will boost your confidence an incredible amount. Tell your Mom this. What could make you want to work harder than knowing you WILL have success at the 16 level if you can simply have competitive matches (Winning at least 6 games a match <-- USTA Definition).

I would not be anywhere near as good as I am today if my High School team didn't have 3 ridiculously good players/freshman come up a couple years ago. They were younger, yes, but they were so much better than me at the time that it made me want to work so incredibly hard not only to get a spot, but to prove to myself that I could be just as good as them. Well, now I am, and the moral of the story is that you should always give yourself opportunities to play up and surprise yourself.

whats the difference between playing a few in the 16's (where the kids are going to physically dominate you ie: some kids will be turning 17 next month) and playing a higher level 14 tournament where at least you won't lose because your smaller than the other players

tennishead93,
you should work your way up in the 14s and as you say you're 14, maybe it's a good idea to wait for another year to move into the 16s. play higher ranked tournaments in the 14s, that would not only give you the match practice but also boost your confidence as i assume that you are going to win some matches. 2-3 years age difference is tough to come by since you will be physically dominated by the 16s players - so even if you have good technique, you'll have quite some trouble with the pace, even in the lower graded tournaments.
if you manage to work your way up in the 14s, i'm pretty sure your mom will allow you to take a shot at the 16s.

This is ridiculous. You should NOT make a permanent switch. But of course you should enter a couple of tournaments at the 16s. This will allow you to really test your potential. I'm sure that playing against the talent in the 16s will not only raise the level of your game, but it will also improve your work ethic. Imagine if you have a competitive match with a 16 year old? That will boost your confidence an incredible amount. Tell your Mom this. What could make you want to work harder than knowing you WILL have success at the 16 level if you can simply have competitive matches (Winning at least 6 games a match <-- USTA Definition).

I would not be anywhere near as good as I am today if my High School team didn't have 3 ridiculously good players/freshman come up a couple years ago. They were younger, yes, but they were so much better than me at the time that it made me want to work so incredibly hard not only to get a spot, but to prove to myself that I could be just as good as them. Well, now I am, and the moral of the story is that you should always give yourself opportunities to play up and surprise yourself.

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This actually happened to me. I was playing up from the 16s to the 18s versus the 2nd seed and took him to a 3rd set tiebreaker. I even had a match point. The whole match I just busted my ass to run everything down. After that match I started working so hard on my game and I really started to love competing. It made me a better player.